it's a marvelous night for a moondance

Night photography can be challenging -- but also a great opportunity to fiddle with all the settings on your camera.  When this black and white challenge was announced, I thought it would be a perfect chance to shoot some night images and hone my skills at the same time.  I wanted to try to capture black and white without actually switching to black and white mode.

My shot was taken at Craigville Beach here on Cape Cod, when the moon was 3/4 full and the water was calm and still.  I set the camera on the roof of my car, adjusted the shutter speed, ISO, and aperture, and took about 10 shots.  I like the calm glow of the moon in the water.  Of course you'll notice that my black and white experiment wasn't completely successful -- out along the horizon one green beacon shines brightly.  Let's call it accidental selective colorization. :)

The photo below, Selkirk, MB - Midway at Night by kim/jaren/brooklyn, is a wonderful example of the power of the black and white night image.  (By the way, Kim/Jaren/Brooklyn is a mother/son/daughter team who share a flickr account - how cool is that?)  They took some daytime shots of the fair, too, which are full of color and energy.  But what I like so much about this night shot is that the black and white accentuates the giddy carnival atmosphere while also hinting at the darker side. Together their fair photos express the yin/yang of summer fun.

Next time you're out at night, try finding opportunities to capture black and white.  Then share some of them in our Everyday Beauty (or should I say, Everynight Beauty) flickr pool.

Until next time.

-lucy